4th of July weekend

What a fun weekend!! We definitely had a blast celebrating Scott's birthday/Independence Day! My brother, sister-in-law and neice came down for the weekend. They got here Saturday afternoon. Bella and Layla enjoyed playing in the little pool for the afternoon. Scott and Will enjoyed relaxing on the patio with some cold beverages while watching the girls play. Austin had a pretty chill afternoon too. He took a nap, enjoyed his swing and crawled around the yard. Melissa and I jumped at the chance for a little shopping excursion without children. We finished off the day by grilling hot dogs and more relaxing outside.

Bella and Layla sitting on the side of the pool relaxing

We definitely wanted to get out on the beach at some point, but holiday weekends at Wrightsville can be a little crowded, to say the least. So, the plan was to get out there as early as possible on the morning of the 4th. I was prepared to watch the sunrise on the beach, if necessary. We didn't make it out there that early, but we got there before 9. We still had to ride around for a little bit to find a parking spot, but we were there early enough to still get one of the prime spots. We all had fun! Bella was more daring in the ocean than she was last year, she didn't even get upset when a wave knocked her down. She loved playing in the water. So did Layla. I don't know if I've heard 2 little girls squeal with delight more than those 2 this weekend! It was so much fun watching them enjoy playing with each other. Austin enjoyed the beach too! He enjoyed putting his feet in the water, but wasn't too happy when a wave got him pretty wet. He did enjoy walking out into the ocean while I carried him. I'm so glad both of our kids enjoy the beach! Austin even became a full-fledged, official beach bum by taking a nap on a towel under the umbrella.

One of Austin's favorite parts of the beach was the sand. He thought it was delicious!

He loved getting his feet wet!

My fellas

All 4 of us! We don't have many pictures of the whole family!

Austin's following in my footsteps- I love napping on the beach!

After several hours on the beach, we headed home to get cleaned up. Since the 4th is also Scott's birthday, his parents came to town for dinner. We got all cleaned up and headed to Indochine- which is a yummy Thai restaurant that he picked for his birthday. They don't have a children's menu, so I was a little concerned about Bella. Turns out- she's a fan! She enjoyed her sweet and sour chicken! After dinner, we headed home for the birthday staple- cake and ice cream! Scott requested a Coca-Cola cake that his mom makes, and it was delicious!!

Can we eat it yet?!

Happy Birthday Daddy! Make a wish!

After we were completely stuffed from dinner, cake and ice cream, we headed downtown to catch the fireworks. This was the first year we watched Wilmington's fireworks- they were good, but downtown was insanely crowded! Thank goodness we brought the stroller, because we ended up having to park and walk 4 blocks to the riverfront. Austin was exhausted, but was a trooper. This was his first time to watch fireworks, and I wasn't sure what he would think about them, but he loved them! In fact, he thought they were hilarious. And the louder they were, they funnier they were to him. We definitely crammed a lot of fun into one day! We put our exhausted kids into bed and Scott and I fell into bed immediately after them. I definitely think Scott had a good birthday!

Is it time for the fireworks yet?

Laughing at the fireworks

Unfortunately, I had to work the next day. I normally don't work on Mondays, but volunteered to work since several other dietitians wanted the day off. So, Scott got to enjoy a day at home with the kids by himself. I found these pictures on my camera when I got home, so it looks like they had a good time! At least Bella, anyway...